Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegates. The last speaker referred to the coffin ships from our history. I never thought we would experience this in the world we are living in today, but, unfortunately, it is happening in the Mediterranean.

We are approaching the summer season. Does the ambassador believe the ten point plan being put forward is sufficient? I presume a huge number of people will try to cross the Mediterranean. Does he believe the plan the European Union is putting together will work? I imagine the debate we are having this morning is being replicated at the meeting of European leaders. I am sure there was huge support for Italy and the work it was doing, as well as for Greece and other Mediterranean countries. That support is being articulated, but the issue concerns following through on it.

I do not know whether there is the stomach for it if we are talking about huge numbers of refugees coming to Ireland. I think Sweden's population is double that of Ireland. A total of 81,000 people were admitted to Sweden in 2014. I do not see any politician in this room suggesting that Ireland takes half that number. We are articulating a view emotionally that we want to do more and I have no doubt that we will but the reality is that we will not do a huge amount. We can see the real attitude of the Irish towards refugees through the direct provision centres. People have been in the system for the past ten years. They are still trying to get through the system from one end to the other and are living in appalling conditions with no recognition of their culture or different backgrounds. We say we will take on more but are we going to put them through the same hoops and difficulties? Yes, we are. It is very easy for us to say we want Europe to do more but it is different when it comes to us. Under the Dublin regulation, the EU member state which was first entered by an asylum seeker is responsible for processing their application. Does the ambassador agree that this regulation is in need of major updating as it places major pressures on southern European countries? Is he aware of any proposals concerning it?

In respect of a humanitarian, policing or border control response, which countries suggest that there is a "pull" factor if we save people's lives? This is the "Fortress Europe" nonsense about pulling back and how we will not encourage them by going out to save them. Where does this come from? The ambassador mentioned a number of countries. People wonder whether it is the Germans or French. The French have taken in huge numbers. It is not a trick question but where does this idea come from?

I presume there will be a need for a UN resolution about blowing up smugglers' boats. Will that happen? How will they distinguish between a fisherman's boat and a rusty wreck that they will push out to sea? It is a nonsense. It was best summed up by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. In an interview, he said that the UK would send in the Royal Navy to patrol the seas but would bring them back to Malta because that is the nearest country. The UK had no responsibility in that regard. We will all congratulate Italy for the work it is doing and the lives it is saving but it is Italy, Greece and Portugal's problem. This is the hypocrisy of it. There is a smattering of that here this morning. We are all concerned but the next step is too difficult to swallow.

In respect of the point that we do not have right-wing parties in Ireland, there are racists in Ireland. I do not know how many doors I have knocked on where I have heard "I'm not racist but...", which is part of the response to what we are doing in respect of people in direct provision. I know it sounds like a speech but I am just expressing the frustration that is there. I do not think we are coming up with the answers. A total of 50 million people have been displaced. Many European countries were cheerleaders for regime change in many of the countries whose inhabitants are coming to Europe. They want to settle. We have wrecked their countries. We have encouraged, trained and bombed. People want to come to Europe and we say that we want them to stay in their devastated countries. It is wrong.